Every time you jump into a programmer community, one question that always makes the rounds is “Which programming language should you learn to make the most money?” Everyone from novice to expert tries to find the answer to this seemingly simple question. It is not a beginner-only question. Let’s try to answer the question from the perspective of 2017 and how the new year will bring challenges and opportunities for the programmers who are looking to make money in 2017.
A new year brings new opportunities. However, it brings new challenges as well. In the last few years, we have seen the release of new technologies including frameworks and programming languages. The influx of new programming languages and frameworks can be extremely confusing for the beginners.
So, Which programming language should you learn to make the most money? Is there a single answer to it? Let’s dive deep into it.
First things first, the question cannot be answered easily, as multiple factors are at work including the age of the candidate, his/her skills, their location, and how much the company is willing to shell out for a particular role. Also, it is necessary to understand that not everyone has the luxury to choose their favorite programming language and earn the most. Sometimes, it is necessary to look at the monetary potential a programming language holds, and then make the right decision.
You also need to understand that learning a programming language doesn’t guarantee higher pay. After all, it is not just a particular programming language that can help you achieve your monetary goals. You also need to be good at solving problems quickly and efficiently, understand the working dynamics of your organization, write clean code, and be able to debug code as new challenges start to creep in.
Check out Nibby, a high school student experimenting with his skill while developing a program to play an ancient Chinese board game called Go, using JavaFX.
With a better understanding, let’s check out what you should do to earn the most money.
Learn how computers work.
With the advent of computers, a fascinating thing happened to human beings. Computers have single-handedly changed the course of our scientific pursuits and enabled scientists and researchers to get access to information once out of their reach. The same has become true of almost anyone with access to computers, no matter their vocation or desire for entertainment.
To become a great programmer and earn as much as possible, it is a must to learn the intricacies of computers and how they work. You don’t have to be an expert, but an intermediate understanding of computers can give you a significant advantage.
If you are keen to dive deep, you can try to learn compiler, automata, and computer architecture. These subjects will give you an exceptional grip on computers and will improve your ability to learn new subjects and programming languages at a rapid pace.
Not sure where to learn them? Check out them below.
- Compilers by Stanford University
- Automata by Stanford University
- Computer Architecture by Princeton University
However, is there a programming language that can improve your potential to earn the most money in 2017?
According to an interesting answer given by Carter Page, an engineering manager at Google, it is always good to learn C/C++. In his Quora post, he tries to define C/C++ as the first language any programmer should learn. If a programmer has not learned C/C++, he/she should learn it to improve the chances of better pay.
Learning either C or C++ programming language gives you a distinct advantage in the form of knowledge that other programmers just don’t have. Learning C/C++ can be a “lifetime of lessons”, and you can easily transfer the experience into learning new programming languages. In short, you will become a better programmer and a quick learner.
His experiment began when he started to look for only C/C++ programmers and found they learn noticeably faster than those without this background. They were also able to learn new programming languages quickly, which in turn allowed them to perform best in the shortest amount of time.
Current working conditions are very volatile when it comes to learning technology and upgrading skills. To sustain and be useful to the company you are working with, you need to keep learning and be at the top of your game.
A C/C++ programmer with a decent amount of experience can easily earn $102,000 per annum on average. The stats has been taken from indeed.com.
But, what about different roles in the IT industry?
There are multiple roles to fulfill in the IT industry. For example, a front-end developer or a database developer might not be interested in learning C/C++. However, it is still a good idea to give C/C++ a go, despite your job role.
Still not convinced? Then you may want to learn the below technologies according to your job role to increase your earnings potential.
| Roles | Technologies that need to be mastered |
|---|---|
| Front-End Programmer | HTML5, CSS3, JavaScript and associated frameworks such as AngularJS, node.js etc. |
| Back-End Programmer | Any of the backend programming languages such as PHP, Java, .NET, Python, Ruby. Database technologies such as SQL, MongoDB, NoSQL, etc. |
| System Programmer | Core programming languages such as C/C++. Should have a good understanding of how computers work. |
| Mobile Programmer | Objective-C for Apple’s devices and Java for Android devices. |
| Game Programmer | Mainly C/C++, but depends on the choice of the programmer. Can use Python, Java as well. |
What’s next?
Though not completely necessary, if you can learn natural languages such as English, Mandarin or your native language deeply, you can get a sense of how programming languages are developed. Natural languages, just like programming languages, are created using syntax and semantics but are loosely coupled compared to a programming language, which has strict rules that need to be followed all the time.
Conclusion
By now, you should know which programming language you should learn to make the most money. As we have already mentioned, learning the computer core and C/C++ are big boosts to help you earn more money in 2017.
If you are on a different job role, it is still advisable to go with C/C++ and see how it pans out. If you are still confused or don’t agree to what we have discussed here, you can share your opinion in the comment section below.
